June 25th, 2026
This week, I’ve been thinking about what it means to trust God. The modern definition of trust is “to have confidence or a firm belief in the reliability, truth, or ability of someone or something.”
The Bible has a lot to say about trusting God, and we must understand that trust is different from faith. Faith is active. We know this from the connotations of the words for faith in the Bible’s original languages, as well as scriptures like James 2:17, which says,
“Faith without works is dead.”
Faith is our active belief in God’s Word, which allows us to receive the promises He’s given.
While trust and faith are both necessary and interconnected, they do differ. One scholar describes the Hebrew word for trust this way: “The verb expresses placing one’s full weight upon someone or something with calm assurance.”
Trust is the idea of leaning so fully on God that we cannot be moved. It is a calm, peaceful, confident rest in the One who cannot be moved.
One of the most powerful pictures of trust is found in Jeremiah 17:7-8. It says,
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
Our trust in God makes us like that tree that is not moved regardless of circumstances. We see this in many other scriptures as well.
Psalm 112:7 says,
“[The righteous] is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.”
Psalm 125:1 says,
“Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.”
Proverbs 11:28 says,
“Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.”
Trust is also frequently associated with safety, quiet, and stillness in the Word of God. While it is an active choice to place our trust in God, the result is not an action, but a peaceful rest that comes from unshakeable confidence.
Isaiah 30:15 says,
‘For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”’
Proverbs 20:25 says,
“The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.”
Isaiah 26:3-4 says,
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.”
Peace and rest are evidence of trust. If you lose your rest, it’s a sign of misplaced trust! Elisabeth Elliot said,
“Worry is the antithesis of trust.”
If we are worrying, we aren’t trusting. If our hearts are disquieted, it’s time to figure out in what area we’ve stopped trusting Him. Trust is the remedy for an anxious heart.
Psalm 28:7 says,
“The LORD is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him.”
Psalm 20:7 says,
“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.”
Psalm 32:10 says,
“Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 says,
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
Proverbs 28:25 says,
“A greedy man stirs up strife, but the one who trusts in the LORD will be enriched.”
Isaiah 12:2 says,
“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”
Take time to read those verses slowly. I could list countless more about the power of trusting Him, but in these few scriptures, we see the promise of rest, stability, safety, enrichment, guidance.
We must understand that God always desires good things for us, but we remove ourselves from the flow of heaven when we trust in inferior things—like people, our own ability, money, the healthcare system, or anything else in which we place our confidence instead of God. Trusting in something other than God Himself is like uprooting ourselves from the river of living water and planting ourselves by another stream. We may be okay for a season, but when heat or drought comes and that stream dries up, our leaves will wither and we won’t produce fruit. The only stream that never runs dry is the one that flows from the throne of God. Choosing to trust God is planting ourselves by that supernatural stream. Choosing to trust God is standing on the Rock that cannot be moved.
When Jesus and His disciples encountered a storm on the sea, Jesus never lost His peace and rest. He only woke up to rebuke the storm because His disciples woke Him (Mark 4:35-41). When our trust is completely in the Lord, storms will not unsettle us, and drought will not affect us. We will not be moved because He cannot be moved!
To conclude, we must understand that trust is based on the character of God. If you don’t know His goodness, you won’t trust Him. We learn who He is through the truth of His Word and our experiences with His faithfulness. Psalm 9:10 says,
“Those who know Your name put their trust in You, for You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.”
The more we know Him, the easier it is to trust Him. He is all-powerful and completely good. He has never failed anyone who trusts in Him!
The Bible has a lot to say about trusting God, and we must understand that trust is different from faith. Faith is active. We know this from the connotations of the words for faith in the Bible’s original languages, as well as scriptures like James 2:17, which says,
“Faith without works is dead.”
Faith is our active belief in God’s Word, which allows us to receive the promises He’s given.
While trust and faith are both necessary and interconnected, they do differ. One scholar describes the Hebrew word for trust this way: “The verb expresses placing one’s full weight upon someone or something with calm assurance.”
Trust is the idea of leaning so fully on God that we cannot be moved. It is a calm, peaceful, confident rest in the One who cannot be moved.
One of the most powerful pictures of trust is found in Jeremiah 17:7-8. It says,
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
Our trust in God makes us like that tree that is not moved regardless of circumstances. We see this in many other scriptures as well.
Psalm 112:7 says,
“[The righteous] is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.”
Psalm 125:1 says,
“Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.”
Proverbs 11:28 says,
“Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.”
Trust is also frequently associated with safety, quiet, and stillness in the Word of God. While it is an active choice to place our trust in God, the result is not an action, but a peaceful rest that comes from unshakeable confidence.
Isaiah 30:15 says,
‘For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”’
Proverbs 20:25 says,
“The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.”
Isaiah 26:3-4 says,
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.”
Peace and rest are evidence of trust. If you lose your rest, it’s a sign of misplaced trust! Elisabeth Elliot said,
“Worry is the antithesis of trust.”
If we are worrying, we aren’t trusting. If our hearts are disquieted, it’s time to figure out in what area we’ve stopped trusting Him. Trust is the remedy for an anxious heart.
Psalm 28:7 says,
“The LORD is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him.”
Psalm 20:7 says,
“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.”
Psalm 32:10 says,
“Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 says,
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
Proverbs 28:25 says,
“A greedy man stirs up strife, but the one who trusts in the LORD will be enriched.”
Isaiah 12:2 says,
“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”
Take time to read those verses slowly. I could list countless more about the power of trusting Him, but in these few scriptures, we see the promise of rest, stability, safety, enrichment, guidance.
We must understand that God always desires good things for us, but we remove ourselves from the flow of heaven when we trust in inferior things—like people, our own ability, money, the healthcare system, or anything else in which we place our confidence instead of God. Trusting in something other than God Himself is like uprooting ourselves from the river of living water and planting ourselves by another stream. We may be okay for a season, but when heat or drought comes and that stream dries up, our leaves will wither and we won’t produce fruit. The only stream that never runs dry is the one that flows from the throne of God. Choosing to trust God is planting ourselves by that supernatural stream. Choosing to trust God is standing on the Rock that cannot be moved.
When Jesus and His disciples encountered a storm on the sea, Jesus never lost His peace and rest. He only woke up to rebuke the storm because His disciples woke Him (Mark 4:35-41). When our trust is completely in the Lord, storms will not unsettle us, and drought will not affect us. We will not be moved because He cannot be moved!
To conclude, we must understand that trust is based on the character of God. If you don’t know His goodness, you won’t trust Him. We learn who He is through the truth of His Word and our experiences with His faithfulness. Psalm 9:10 says,
“Those who know Your name put their trust in You, for You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.”
The more we know Him, the easier it is to trust Him. He is all-powerful and completely good. He has never failed anyone who trusts in Him!
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